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Checking my “On This Day” on my personal Facebook account has become somewhat of a habit. And by that I mean, when I’m laying in bed, unable to sleep, I look at the clock, see it is after midnight, and think, “oh, at least, I can check my ‘On This Day’ now.” I regularly have difficulty falling asleep, hence the use of the word “habit.”

This past Friday, I was a bit behind in checking it. However, I did make time in my day to post a new business card I designed. It is a joke card I designed about my dog, who I have decided needs to stop whining in my ear, getting hair on my carpet, demanding food, and instead get out there and make a bigger contribution to society. There is also a resume I created for him, which you can see here. After I posted this image of the business card, which includes a portrait of the pooch, Facebook reminded me to check my “On This Day.” As it turns out, five years ago, I also posted a portrait of Renegade. It was created much in the same way the one on his business card was — I drew out a quick sketch, transferred the hand drawing to my computer, then outlined it and colored it using a couple of Adobe’s programs. The process being the same, the end result is certainly not:

What adds to this coincidence is that on a different year from either of these dog portraits, I ALSO posted on this day, the embedded video below. It is two minutes of audio of Ira Glass speaking about what he calls, “the gap.” (It also has some beautifully animated typography by David Shiyang Liu)

For a very long time, and sometimes still, I get an idea in my head, get very (quietly) excited about it like a dork, research if I need to, sketch it out, possibly sketch it out a second time, transfer it over to whatever media I will be creating a finish in, complete it, and along the way have arguments and make compromises with myself over how this is not looking the way I intended it to. As a result of this, many of my canvases have multiple paintings within the layers of paint as I try to get it right. Even if you go through my files of digital work, most of those pieces have more than one version of a finish.

This happenstance, of both these portraits being shown to me at the same time, along with this video, is an inspiring and much-needed reminder of how far I’ve come. Not necessarily in a monetary way, or worldwide renowned way, or even being settled into life way, but a deeply personal, building-myself-into-the-artist-I-want-to-be way. I do not feel like I have yet to completely bridge the gap Glass describes, but I think my bridge is coming along very nicely.

For anyone who is undergoing any type of creative endeavor, or even just trying to get through life and developing their ideas of who they are as a person, this video applies to you.

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.”

“It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

“Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.”

I am really not quite sure how it has become that time of year again, but oh boy has the tail of the end of the year come up fast.

Many, many changes this year for me, with even more coming as we enter the new year — however, one tradition is staying the same:

The SamSketches 4th Annual Holiday card is finished and on order.

And as the tradition holds, this limited edition card print (signed and numbered) is free to anyone who trusts me with their address, allowing me to mail it to them. It is a token of my sincerest thanks to followers and patrons for supporting me once again throughout the year.

I am delighted to have been able to already have added new addresses my constantly growing card list. But, not to worry there are still a few slots left!

To any interested, you may email me, info@samsketches.com, with your request for one. Or, reach me via any other form of communication at your disposal.

It is my hope for this third year that it will be gracing even more homes than its predecessors. The pieces selected, for the most part (not going to lie and say every single one), were done so with a special meaning behind each month assignment.

For instance:

July includes an illustration of Gader because it his birth month — his birthday will also be noted on each calendar as well, you’re welcome.

August’s image and words refer to music, a reference selected for the birth month of the man responsible for my eclectic taste in and knowledge of music.

October’s words come from the artist I share a birthday with in that month — Picasso.

And the rest — have fun trying to figure out and guess … or don’t and just enjoy the imagery. :)

I am currently awaiting my draft copy of the calendar to make sure it all comes out exactly as I would like it to. After I have held it and am okay with it, it will formally go on sale — $15 (w/ free shipping to your home).

For now, I am keeping a list of those interested in securing a copy from my first shipment of calendars, which has been impressively growing each day. (thanks!)

If you have not yet contacted me about making a calendar yours please do so to be part of the first shipment to go out! — simply email, text, FB comment/message, tweet, stop me in person

This Saturday morning I will be riding over to Port Jeff to drop off two pieces from a currently five piece series I started this summer called Finding My Peace of Space.

Able to submit up to two pieces for this show, I selected #1 and #3 from my series (number two is kind of tiny, and I wanted to present with larger works). When given the option, I always submit the max allowed to increase my odds of getting something, anything in, and as luck would have it, both were chosen.

The prospectus for this show describes the theme to be, “not just about breast cancer. [But] about personal transformation, the person you become having faced the experience. It’s about the emergence of the warrior within you, and the struggle that brings it forth. It’s about you, the artist, and how you choose to transform that passion into expression.”

With that said, I am looking very forward to the many ways people have been able to visually translate this concept.

In addition to this show bringing people out to support a worthy cause with their presence, all of us artists are not only putting our paintbrushes, but our money where our mouth is — a portion of every sale goes to the Benefit.

The show will be opening to the public this Sunday, August 30th and remain viewable until October 31st. Allowing plenty of time for everyone to make a stop. According to the Village Center Gallery webpage, gallery hours are 9 am to 9 pm daily.

The formal opening reception will not be held until October 3rd, from 4 – 7 pm (where you will find me walking around admiring all of the art).

Amidst the several other projects/goals I have set for myself this month and going forward into fall, I signed up to participate in an event taking place this week that will be a new experience for me.

I am half excited, half nervous to be one of a number of artists painting the Great South Bay “en plein air“** for an event led by the South Bay Art Association aptly named, “Paint the Great South Bay.” Myself, along with other artists from around Long Island, will be setting up our easels to capture and create views of our island’s beautiful Great South Bay.

Rain or shine (I hope to get out early to avoid the rain) we will be creating artwork on location this week from Thursday, the 20th, thru Saturday, the 22nd. I will use all the assorted social media outlets to post where I am, as well as document my progress. I plan to be setting myself up in Gardiners Park, right at the edge where I can grab both a view of the Fire Island lighthouse, the Robert Moses bridge, the *raincloud-less* sky, and of course the bay.

On Sunday, August 23rd,from 1 pm to 4 pm, there will be an opening reception at the Paper Cup Studio art gallery (139 South Country Road in Bellport), displaying all of our work from the week. The pieces will be available for viewing and for sale from then until September 20th, with gallery hours being Thursdays to Saturdays from 11 am to 5 pm, and Sundays from 12 pm to 4 pm.

**en plein air: a French expression which means “in the open air” and is particularly used to describe the act of painting outdoors, which is also called peinture sur le motif (“painting of the object(s) or what the eye actually sees”) in French.

In the midst of my ongoing search to find places to feature my work, I came across an awesome opportunity from a current member of the Artspace @ Patchogue. If you are not familiar with it, Artspace, is an organization that sets up buildings and provides affordable living and work spaces for artists. They have made it possible for many artists to form and take part in a community of their peers at 35 different locations across the country.

One of their members, Rich Belsky, is graciously using his association with the space to showcase a variety of Long Island artists’ work for the UGLY show. The purpose of the show in his words is, “to explore ‘UGLY’ as a dynamic force, integral to any creative process, and the role it has played from the past to the present as well as it may play in the future. Artwork for ‘UGLY’, as it relates to either the individual or to society, in part or in whole.”

Beginning on August 1st, my piece #BLEAH, pictured below, will be hanging alongside many other artists’ work from around the area. The show will run for two weeks, ending on the 15th.

Since the day after Babylon Village Arts Council’s Seventh Annual Arts by the Falls event, I have been waking up and glancing over at a stack of packed boxes. Inside these boxes were paintings, books, framed prints, and postcards. For anyone keeping count, with it now being July, I have been waking up to these boxes for the last 46 days.

And on the 46th day, I unpacked.

Might I say, it feels very nice to have a bit more space to move around.

:: : s t r e t c h : : :

BUT most notably for you, inside these boxes were the below five silhouette mini paintings. Prior to the Babylon Village Art Council’s event, I had posted shots of them on my Facebook and they seemed to have been well received. I can assure anyone interested in them: for the last 46 days these paintings they have been kept in tip top shape and wrapped securely, preserving them from any clutzy harm I may manage to do to them. (However, they’re unwrapped now — so act quickly)

With that, I have posted them up in my i-should-definitely-get-around-to-using-this-more online shop: mkt.com/SamSketches

Should you prefer to deal with me directly, you are more than welcome to contact me via email, info@samsketches.com, or through a private message via any from of social media you fancy.